I stumbled up a path criss-crossed with tree roots and winding through dense trees. No moon shining, the blackness forced me to shuffles and curses. Then a friend came along with a flashlight (pre-cell phone era) and I stepped confidently again.

Sometimes we walk a path in the darkness. The psalmist experienced such days, dealing with deceitful and unjust people, all while feeling God’s distance. His prayer in this frustrating time strikes me:

Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!

In the midst of anguish and injustice, the psalmist prayed for more of the Lord, for the light of truth. He asked the Lord to show up in bold and inexplicable ways—a light no one would miss.

When darkness crowds in here’s a better prayer than just asking for relief. Praying for the light and truth of God to illumine both my life and those around me clears a path for all of us.

Psalm 43 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Lucas Hoang